Markets Make The World Go Around Markets exist to help smooth the flow of information and make the future more predictable. But sometimes it takes a Ph.D. to figure out what is going on when corn goes above $8 and you are sitting on several thousand bushels.

To help figure out markets in general, look in to the video Backwardation Bullish or Bearish (less than 5 minutes, from The Khan Academy). This is a very simple video but it helps set the tone about markets and what they might do. For a more advanced look at futures markets, check out this Yale University Forwards and Futures class lecture (~1 hour 10 minutes).

Talking with a livestock group, House Ag Committee Chair Congressman Frank Lucas recently spent some time walking
through the current climate in Washington, D.C. and gave his thoughts
on the next Farm Bill, where it stands and what might happen. Please
pass this one to others in your organization.

The unfolding
"Pink Slime" fiasco made its entry into social consicousness via
social media, then exploded onto the national scene. Here Eric Atkinson
talks with Kansas State meat scientist John Gonzales to better
understand what the product is and to shed light on some repeatedly
reported inaccuracies.

Information To Help Your Operations

Audio: Can I Maximize Return On My Forage Investment? - David Fischer, retired University of Illinois extension specialist, recently shared the importance of properly managing critical periods in forage development and harvest to gain maximum value from those acres. He spoke at the recent JBS United Midwest Dairy Conference [audio].

Mike Leffler, JBS United Nutritionist, shares an update on Bovine Tuberculosis. Not so much what it is and what to do after the depopulation and repopulation (depop-repop), but how to rebuild trust in the safety of the product. Good steps taken by these producers.

The dairy industryis different. The reality is that set milk and feed prices are a thing of the past and many dairy operations need to approach revenue with a new look. Fulper dairy farms, in upstate New Jersey, is tackling what were perceived negatives and turning them into positives with revenue generation potential.

One of their negatives turned positive? Land. The land prices in their region is expensive because it is so close to New York City (about 90 miles). But that negative turns out to be a revenue generating positive. New Yorkers want farm fresh food and being close means dairy products like cheese have more value in the city.

Video: Judicious Use of Antibiotics - Dr. William Flynn, Deputy Director for Science Policy, Food and Drug Administration, shares how the U.S. FDA is approaching antibiotics in food-producing animals. Dr.